Eldest son of John VIZARD 1772 – 1814 and Anna Maria WEIGHT 1783 – 1830

Born 1st October 1806, Dursley, Gloucestershire

Died 19th February 1878, Dursley, Gloucestershire

i) Sarah PRUEN 1810 – 1832 (one child)

ii) Mary Leigh SCOTT 1803 – 1880 (ten children)

Sarah PRUEN died through giving birth to their first-born John 1832 – 1854.

John VIZARD then went on to marry Mary Leigh SCOTT who bore him ten children.

John VIZARD was a partner in the Solicitor firm VIZARD, OLDHAM, CROWDER and CASH.

51, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2.

The eldest, John, lived at Ferney Hill a large family mansion near Dursley.

There is a little petrifying spring in the grounds of Ferney Hill and I have seen it gushing out of the hillside into a small stone basin. A bird’s nest, containing eggs, had been placed in the water, and was thickly encrusted with limestone and completely petrified.

Great-Uncle John had ten children, nine daughters and one son, Herbert, who came about the middle of’ the family. As further daughters came along they were numbered off, and the three youngest were Bertha Septima, Norah Octavia and Ada Nona.

I vaguely remember seeing them, as very old ladies when I was a small child and was taken to Ferney Hill by my mother. Great-Uncle John had the family characteristic of extreme shyness and became virtually a recluse in his later years. He so disliked visitors that he had a long corridor built from the front door extending a long way down the drive, in which he had a series of concealed mirrors, by means of which he could see any would be caller and give the footman instructions as to whether he was “at home” or “out”, depending upon whether he wanted to see the visitor or not. Besides the characteristic of intense shyness, the family has the characteristic of an oblong face with forehead and lower jaw of almost the same width, thus giving rise to the traditional “Lantern jawed Vizards”. The family nose is long and straight with a slightly flattened tip, and the forefingers are unusually long, being nearly as long as the middle finger. I have inherited the Lantern jaws the nose and the long forefinger, though (thankfully) not the shyness.

In later life the old gentleman became paralysed in one leg but insisted on going to Church every Sunday in the family church. He had a rope tied round his lame leg, and the verger had to walk backwards down the Church to the Vizard pew - a large box pew at the front - lifting the lame leg at each step. John Vizard allowed himself to sit during most of the Service but insisted on standing up for the Creed. In order to assist himself he had a rope attached to the front of’ the pew, by means of which he hauled himself to his feet and managed to stand for the Creed.

This picture (courtesy of Dursley Glos Web) was probably taken near the beginning of the 20th century. (JFH)